


When Love Arrives

by starkpad



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-05 18:45:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1828381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkpad/pseuds/starkpad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love stayed away for years in Tony Stark's life, so when love finally reappeared, </p><p>"Big man in a suit of armor, take that away and what are you?" </p><p>He barely recognized it. </p><p>Love is not something you can predict. <br/>Maybe love is in Malibu, wide awake. <br/>Maybe love spent 70 years frozen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Love Arrives

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by Sarah Kay & Phil Kaye's wonderful poem titled "When Love Arrives" credits to them! 
> 
> also, follow me on my tumblr http://starkpad.tumblr.com

Tony knew exactly what love looked liked – in 7th grade.

 

 

Even though he hadn’t met love yet, if love had wandered into his physics class, he would’ve recognized her at first glance.

Tony imagined that love wore a tight French braid.

He imagined that he would twirl her French braid in between his fingers, feel the way it was soft.

Tony imagined that love sang all his favorite songs.

But you see, Tony’s songs was mainly Rock songs, but the way he imagined a girl humming the melody of his favorite song, his heart skipped a beat.

Tony imagined that love wasn’t afraid to ride the bus with him even though they knew being friends with Howard Stark’s son wasn’t the best company to ride public transportations with. 

And Tony knew, he must be searching the wrong classrooms, just must be checking the wrong hallways, she was there, Tony was sure of it.

If only he could find her.

 

But when love finally showed up, she took the form of his very beautiful and scary personal assistant.

Instead of wearing a tight French braid, Pepper Potts sometimes wore her hair in a ponytail, but Tony did still liked the way Pepper’s hair was so soft and smooth between his fingers.

Pepper Potts hated the bus.

Contrary to popular belief even though Tony was a billionaire and a superhero that risks his life on a daily basis, he still liked to ride the bus. The way sometimes he had to stand up because no seats were left in the crowded bus, made him feel like everyone else, just an average citizen of the United States riding a bus.

Pepper Pots made Jarvis turn down his music every time she comes down to the lab.

Tony remembers the first time he kissed love – the first time he kissed Pepper Potts – their teeth got in the way.

Love – Pepper Pots – had great rhythm on the dance floor.

Pepper Potts waited by home alone each time Tony was of risking his life to save the world. 

 

And love grew, stretched like a trampoline.

Love changed.

Love – Pepper Pots – couldn’t stand the fact that she was going to lose Tony every other week from Iron man business.

 

Love disappeared.

 

Slowly, like baby teeth, losing parts of Tony that he thought he needed. 

Love vanished like an amateur magician, and everyone could see the trap door but Tony.

Like a flat tire, there were other places Tony planned on going, but his plans didn’t matter. 

 

Love stayed away for years, and when love finally reappeared,

 

_“Big man in a suit of armor take that away and what are you?”_

 

Tony barely recognized it.

 

“ _I’m sorry for what I said. I- I didn’t mean it. You are so much more than that.”_

 

Love – Steve Rogers – smelt different now, love smelt like justice, freedom and vanilla, a scent that was so strange yet so heart warming.

Love – Steve Rogers – had brighter eyes, love had eyes that reminded Tony of the blue of the sky in a summer’s day, bright, warm and breathtakingly beautiful.

Love – Steve Rogers – had a broader back and a shoulder to waistband ratio of a Dorito chip.

Love – Steve Rogers – came with freckles that Tony didn’t recognize but he was more than willing to discover each and every one.

Love – Steve Rogers – had new birthmarks and a softer voice.

Now there were new sleeping patterns. Steve Rogers liked to get extra early in the morning for a morning run, and came back later on to make breakfast and the best coffee Tony has ever had.

There were new favorite books, too. Steve Rogers liked to share them with Tony too in between lazy conversations at 2.a.m when one of them has had a nightmare. 

Love  - Steve Rogers – had songs that he didn’t like to listen to, songs that reminded him of someone else.

So did Tony.

 

But they found a park bench that fit them perfectly, located below a tree near a pond in Central Park.

They found jokes that’s makes them laugh.

 

_“You make me want to kill myself” Fury grunted as Tony and Steve tried their best not to laugh during debriefings at an inside joke Tony had whispered in Steve’s ear._

And now love – Steve Rogers – makes Tony fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies.

But love – Steve Rogers – would probably finish most of them for a midnight snack. 

Love – Steve Rogers – looks great in a wife beater but still likes to wear his Iron Man bathrobe Tony got him for their 2nd year anniversary.

Love – Steve Rogers – is a terrible driver, but a great navigator.

Love – Steve Rogers – has terrible rhythm on the dance floor but made sure they never missed a slow song.

Love is messier now, not as simple.

Love – Steve Rogers – leaves the cap off the toothpaste.

Love – Steve Rogers – chews too loud and eats like he had starved for 3 days.

Love – Steve Rogers – uses smiley faces in his text messages.

Love shits.

 

But love also cries.

 

And love – Steve Rogers – will tell Tony that he is beautiful, that he is more than just a man in a suit of armor over and over again.

When Tony first wake up,  “You are so much more than that.”

When Tony had just had a nightmare, “You are so much more than that.” 

When Tony doesn’t want to hear it, “You are so much more than that.”

When Tony doesn’t believe it, “You are so much more than that.”

When nobody else will tell Tony, “You are so much more than that.”

 

Tony knows that love is not who he was expecting, love is not who he can predict.

Maybe love is in Malibu, still wide awake.

Maybe love has been asleep for 70 years.

Maybe love stays.

Maybe love can’t.

Maybe love shouldn’t.

 

_“Are you staying?”_

_“For as long as you’ll have me, Tony, I’ll stay.”_

_“Guess you’re stuck with me for a couple of hundred years.”_

_“Good, cause I was never going to leave in the first place.”_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
